Professor Department of Plant Pathology University of Nebraska Lincoln, NE, USA
Plant diseases significantly reduce crop yields in Africa. Crop yield and quality losses due to diseases result in insufficient food supply, leading to starvation, malnutrition, poverty, and social unrest. Crop loss due to diseases is exacerbated by the lack of resources, knowledge, and technology needed to effectively manage them. In addition to plant diseases, human-induced factors have a major negative impact on crop production on the continent, leading to food insecurity, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. These factors include climate change, rapid population growth, inflation, gender inequality, poor policies, corruption, poverty, and armed conflict. The challenge to crop production and food security in Africa caused by plant diseases and human-induced factors requires a multifaceted approach to find solutions, including addressing climate change, improving agricultural productivity, implementing sound policies, and preventing armed conflict.
